Author Archives: The Music in My Ears (by Jamie Kyei)

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About The Music in My Ears (by Jamie Kyei)

Just one man who's making his way through life one day at a time writing about the songs he has on his phone. And other things at some points.

My iPod #66: Arctic Monkeys – The Bad Thing

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I have a feeling that I won’t have a lot to write about today. There’s not much to say about this particular song. The band don’t like it very much either, and tend to not to play it live.

Arctic Monkeys have changed…. I know this change has been occurring since they released in “Humbug”, but this is ridiculous. Have you heard their new single? It’s quite good you know. But you listen to that, and then listen to “The Bad Thing” for a comparison. You would think it was a totally different band.

After “Whatever People Say I Am…” became the fastest selling debut album in the UK in 2006 and spouted two number one singles in the process, Arctic Monkeys became one of the biggest bands in the country.

“Favourite Worst Nightmare” was one of the most awaited albums in 2007. I bought it from Woolworths after a day of school and listened to it at home.

“The Bad Thing” is considered to be one of the more forgettable songs from the album. I’ve got to admit that I can remember listening to “If You Were There, Beware” and “D Is for Dangerous” more than this one, maybe it’s because it’s near the end of the album – I don’t know, but in recent years I have come to appreciate it a lot more.

This song uses the theme of relationships that is common throughout their debut album. This time, it is sung from the point of view from a guy who is hit on by women in relationships, and although he doesn’t want to be tempted he can’t help himself. Because he’s a guy. And that’s normal.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #65: Supergrass – Bad Blood

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When I was thirteen in 2008, Supergrass was the band that I enjoyed listening to the most.

I got “In It for the Money” and their self-titled album as presents for my eleventh birthday, listened to them and didn’t think much of them. The songs just passed me by, you know? Except for “Richard III”, which was the only reason I got the former in the first place.

Using the free music-video service that was available on my TV provider (Virgin Media ftw) I watched all of their videos from “Mansize Rooster” to “St. Petersburg” and realised that the band’s music was one of the most enjoyable and exciting to listen to.

So it was no surprise that I was really excited and could not wait for the release of their then-new album “Diamond Hoo Ha”. Although I was quite disappointed in the first song that they promoted from it, the almost title-track “Diamond Hoo Ha Man“, it was “Bad Blood” that really got the heart pumping and the blood circulating.

The video played a big part in that feeling. You can watch the making of the video by clicking on this sentence. The weird camera shifting gave me a real sense of adrenaline, almost like being on a rollercoaster.

The song itself is a one of the highlights from the album. It’s a great release of energy after the first track. With quiter, chugging verses accompanied by a rip-roaring chorus, the song is one of the best from the Supergrass catalogue of the twenty-first century.

It’s a shame that this song didn’t do so well commercially, and “Diamond Hoo Ha” turned out to be the band’s final album after the members split in 2010. *sniff sniff*

Oh well, the music remains and the good times roll on.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #64: The Wombats – Backfire at the Disco

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Evening again.

“Backfire at the Disco” was released as a single from The Wombats’ first album “A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation” in 2007. It reached #67 in the charts.

At that time no one really knew who the band were, and so they re-released it in 2008. It reached #40 in the charts.

The band was another that played on MTV2 when they first came about on the scene, and so there wasn’t a day when this song wasn’t playing on the channel.

I didn’t really like the song back then. The song that really got me into them was “Kill the Director”, which will be coming up later many years from now.

The song includes a trademark vocal that the band used throughout their first album and then abandoned in their second. You know how on “Employment” by Kaiser Chiefs, almost every song (or single, I haven’t listened to all of that album) included a part where a build up in tension was signified by an “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh *breath* oooooohhhhhhhhh woooooooahhhh ooooooooooooooh”?

Well, on “A Guide to Love” almost every song (I can say that this time as I own the album, and have listened to it) includes a “woo” or an “ooh” section, either as back up vocals or as a break between a verse and a chorus or something.

Both bands are similar in that when they both abandoned those vocals, their second albums didn’t do as well. I haven’t listened to “This Modern Glitch”, and probably won’t. I would stick to their first if I was you.

The song is about a person who goes out on a date, and it almost goes well until they go to the disco and everything goes wrong. I’m sure many people have been through this before. I guess.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #63: Big Boi – Back Up Plan

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Put that bitch in smash mode. Ooh, another closing track from an album.

“Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” was Big Boi’s debut in 2010. I wrote a bit about it in my previous Big Boi post, but all you need to know is that it was released and a lot of people liked it.

It has a completely opposite message compared to Paul McCartney. This time around, Big Boi’s been cheated on or dumped or whatever, and the relationship has ended. But what does he do? He only picks himself up, dusts himself off and moves on to a new one. That being his ‘back up plan’.

That is pretty much all I can say about the song. Big Boi basically tells the story of the relationship in the song, so again listen to it. It’s a confident closer, I enjoy it. What could go wrong?

I hope that makes up for everything.Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #62: Paul & Linda McCartney – The Back Seat of My Car

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Right. I have some explaining to do.

Yesterday I went out with friends to watch “Man of Steel”, the new Superman movie. I was out for a long time, I couldn’t put out my post and for that, I apologise to the small number of people who actually view this blog.

To be honest the film wasn’t that good; I don’t see what all the fuss is about.

Today, I bring a special two-in-one post.* Only to make up for yesterday though, don’t be expecting anything more.

“Ram” is the second album released by Paul McCartney after The Beatles split in 1970. However, it was credited to both he and his wife Linda, and therefore doesn’t really count as a solo album.

“Ram” is one of the happiest albums I’ve listened to. Whereas “McCartney”, his first album, was more of a collection of old songs he had written whilst he was still in The Beatles, “Ram” on the other hand gave off a sense of freedom and also a sense of closure. Paul had ‘found his love awake and waiting to be’ and was ready to take things head on.

“The Back Seat of My Car” is the final track on the album, and probably the most emotional. Love is a theme that runs throughout, but this is when it reaches its peak.

The story in the song is pretty simple. The couple have dreams of getting away ‘along the highway’ to ‘Mexico City’ but prefer making out in the back seat of a car unbeknownst to the girl’s father who is always nagging at them. Awww. How romantic is that?

Sure, the story is short and sweet. The actual composition is beautifully performed, with calming and soothing vocals by Paul and slight changes in tempo here and there culminating in an audience participation section and a rocking outro make it perfect for the album closer.

Also, the song contains what is probably the best vocal delivered by McCartney. Ever.

I can’t describe it very well, just listen to it; you’ll get what I mean.

John Lennon thought this was one out of several songs on the album on “Ram” that was aimed at him and Yoko, it isn’t, but you can hear his thoughts about it if you search for it on YouTube.

*8/7/26 – There were originally two posts merged into one here, but I’ve decided it didn’t look nice and split them into two. If you want to see how this was originally laid out, here is is on the original site.